"Fallen" by Karin Slaughter

At a time when many of my favorite authors seem to be floundering, experimenting and just generally under-delivering, it's nice to have Karin Slaughter.  After ten wonderful novels, I find it incredibly gratifying to say that her eleventh does nothing but improve on an already incredible world.  For those of you who have been reading this blog for a while, you may remember that I reviewed Broken a while back.  It was my pleasure to return to her intricate, damaged and beautiful characters.

For you thriller readers out there, this entire series should be required reading.  If you're not reading Karin Slaughter right now, I have one word for you:  Repent!  Pick up one right now.  It doesn't really matter which.  They're all superlative.  Starting at the beginning with Blindsighted, you'll want to finish them out.  Starting with Fallen, you'll be sure to backtrack.  So take your pick; just don't blame me when you're hooked.

Now, for you I-could-take-thrillers-or-leave-'em types out there, give this one a chance.  Slaughter lives up to her name, sure, but she does it with class and flair.  I said it with Broken and I'll say it again here.  These are thrillers that manage to live up to the adrenaline-packed excitement expected by the genre, while still reading like literature.  You're really getting the best of both worlds with this author, and I only expect it to continue.  You can get Fallen here.

Oh, and for those purebred bibliophiles out there (or anyone that's just looking for a smoking deal on books by up-and-coming authors), you MUST check out the Indie Book Collective's Menage a Blog.  It starts Monday, July 18th and goes through the 25th, with three different titles every day.  Awesomeness overload.  #dontsayIdidntwarnyou